International tunneling expert, Arnold Dix, who played a crucial role in the successful operation to reach the stranded 41 workers inside the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand expressed his happiness on the accomplishment of the operations. He also thanked Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese who lauded Dix for his effort.
"Thanks, Mr Prime Minister... It's been my privilege and pleasure to show that we are not just fantastic in cricket, but we do other things as well, including tunnel rescue. 41 people are all out, all safe. Everything is perfect," Dix said on Tuesday while speaking to news agency ANI.
"It's been my honour to serve, and as a parent, it's been my honour to help out all the parents getting their children home," he said.
"Remember in the beginning I said, 41 people home, and no one gets hurt by Christmas. Christmas is coming early... We were calm, and we knew exactly what we wanted," Dix said.
"We worked as a wonderful team. India has the best engineers... It was just a joy to be part of this successful mission. I have to go to the temple because I promised to say thank you for what happened. If you haven't noticed, we have just witnessed a miracle," he added.
Following the rescue of the 41 workers, Australia's High Commissioner to India Philip Green commended Dix as he congratulated Indian authorities.
In a post on X, Green said: "This is an immense achievement. Well done to the 🇮🇳 authorities for successfully evacuating all 41 workers trapped in the tunnel in #Uttarkhand. Special commendation to Australia’s Professor Arnold Dix who provided important technical support on the ground."
Sharing Green's post, Albanese wrote, "A wonderful achievement by Indian authorities. Proud that Australian Professor Arnold Dix played a role on the ground. "